


At Death's Door Tomorrow

by Ciasquare



Series: Itachi Drabbles [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Last Moments, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-04 03:47:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4124547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciasquare/pseuds/Ciasquare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened the night before Itachi's final battle with Sasuke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At Death's Door Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> I've always loved Itachi as a character and I wanted to explore what he must have been feeling before what he knew would be the day he died. I added a little romance between Kisame and Itachi, hope nobody minds. If you enjoyed, please review!

It’s late. The wind is bone chilling, the air is quiet, and the crows are all safely in their nests. The only thing awake at this point seems to be the moon. Itachi stares at it, a blurry white dot, the only thing he can see in this darkness. He should be sleeping, preparing for tomorrow’s fight with Sasuke, but his mind is stained with panic and dread that he can’t shake. After struggling to stay alive for so long, his impending death should feel like a blissful reward. Instead, it feels like his insides have turned to lead, churning around in the pit of his stomach.

Heavy footsteps thump towards him and strangely, Itachi is glad to hear it. “You’ll catch a cold, Itachi san.” Kisame says disapprovingly, tossing a soft cloak over his shoulders. 

Itachi did try his best not to wake his partner in crime when he snuck out, but he apparently failed. He was grateful for the cloak though. It was cold and he wouldn’t be able to find it in the dark. 

“Thank you.” He intones.

“Can’t even say it to my face!” Kisame complains. Itachi knows that Kisame is teasing and quirks his lips up in the hint of a smile. 

There’s a soft swish of fabric as Kisame moves to stand next to him. “Worried about tomorrow?” He asks, but Itachi doesn’t reply. While it is nice to have company, Kisame’s appearance has brought up more unpleasant considerations. He mentally lists all the people he is loathe to leave behind. The list is small now that father, mother and Shisui are gone, but Sasuke… It is strange, but even if his relations with his little brother are… strained – to understate – he finds he does not want to give up even Sasuke’s hatred, as long he still exists to love his brother. 

Kisame takes Itachi’s silence for admission and humorously reassures him. “Don’t worry, you’re more than a match for that brat.” 

And there is Kisame. If they had been born in a different life, or if they had met under different circumstances, maybe they would have been close friends, if not lovers. But Itachi doesn’t ask for much, not when he chose the path less taken. To have what they have now is more than he could have hoped for. Now, there is no longer time to indulge in romanticism, even if he believed that there was any interest whatsoever in Kisame’s eyes. 

Itachi draws the cloak tighter around his neck with one hand. It really is very cold tonight. Will it get warmer tomorrow? Will it be a cold spring? He wishes it could be warmer. These days even breathing is painful, coughing brings up blood, and he is tired all the time. His left arm aches with every small breeze. He is almost grateful that death will come for him tomorrow, because otherwise he would suffer.

Next to him, Kisame yawns loudly. Itachi san was always overdoing things. Not just the sharingan, but this walking out in the middle of the night all morose and shit, without even wearing his cloak. So overdramatic. He wonders if everyone in the Uchiha clan was like that and Itachi is the least dramatic one. It would explain a lot. He tugs at Itachi, way too tired of staring at nothing this early in the morning.

“Let’s go back to sleep.” He says groggily, heading back into the room. He is careful not to let go. At this point, Itachi's eyesight is so bad, he is all but blind in the night. Kisame's light tug is all the direction he knows in this darkness. Itachi follows his gentle guidance until they reach their shared bed. The bed groans as Kisame rolls into it, and he watches as Itachi carefully feels his way as he lies down on his side. 

“Come on. The sun will rise soon.” Kisame complains, shifting on his side to face him. It is silent for a second, and Kisame stares at Itachi’s bone thin outline. Without warning, Itachi scrambles towards him like a mad man possessed, clutching his shirt with both fists. Kisame tries to push him off, but he hangs on tightly.

“What the fuck?” Kisame shouts, but Itachi is not swayed. 

Kisame stills as Itachi’s eyes turn red. His heart is pounding so fast, he thinks it will pound through his chest. Itachi moves his hands slowly to Kisame’s face and pulls himself so close their foreheads are pressed together.

“If… If I don’t make it tomorrow, you know right?” 

Kisame doesn’t say a word.

Itachi stares at him, numb. He thinks he can hear his heart shatter into a million pieces, but he can't seem to feel anything. He lets go of Kisame and lets his eyes fade to black. He rolls away from his partner and the despair hits him like a punch to the gut. This must be his punishment for all his wrongs. For his loved ones to never know that he loves them. He didn’t feel like sleeping before, but now he is so tired. So very tired.

Suddenly, strong hands pull him close, and he is nuzzled into a thick neck. 

“I know.” Kisame rumbles, his body warm against him, “And you know?” 

Itachi smiles so wide as he feels the first tears he’s cried in so long at the edges of his eyes. 

“I do.”


End file.
